The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss in the left ear is not shown to have been manifested by worse than Level I hearing impairment, and therefore a compensable rating is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s hearing loss in the left ear does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it only reaches Level I under VA's auditory acuity levels.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19174665
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19174665.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the left ear as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as Level I, which corresponds to a noncompensable rating. The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss in the left ear for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection. For the right ear, the Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred during service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for pre-existing hearing loss in both the right and left ears, finding that there was an increase in severity during service without clear and unmistakable evidence of natural progression. The Veteran's exposure to noise trauma while on active duty is acknowledged, as are his symptoms of hearing loss since discharge.
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